Plaiting device



Dec. 6, 1932. w. H. STEWART PLAI TING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 31, 1928 nu u u nu HRH- 1.0000080 Dec. 6, 1932. w. H. STEWART PLAITING DEVICE Filed 001.. 31, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 6, 1932.

W. H. STEWART PLAITING DEVICE Filed Oct. 31, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet -3 1 I l I I I/IIIIII/II/IIIII/I/VIII, I

DEC. 6, 1932-. w S R 1,890,101

PLAITING DEVICE Filed'oct'. 31, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Mum Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orsica WILLIAM H. STEWART, OF JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA PLAITING DEVICE Application filed October 31, 1928.

- provision of a plaiting device wherein the plaits can be steamed and pressed before the plait forming members are removed.

A yet further object is the provision of a plaiting device which is small compact and light in weight and can be readily handled and moved about.

Another object of the invention is generally to improve the construction and operation of plaiting devices.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device with portions thereof broken away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the de vice of Fig. 1.

"Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the device of Fig. 1, and also illustrates the manner in which the plait forming members are clamped to the p-laiting frame.

Fig. a is a perspective view of a modified form of clamp.

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail illustrating the manner in which the plaiting bars are secured removably in position.

Fig. 6 is a plan view similar to Fig. 1 and with the side and end bars removed.

7 is an end view of the plaiting'frame and illustrating particularly an attachment plate therefor.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the plaiting frame illustrating the manner in which the frame can be attached to a table or other support.

Fig. 9 is a perspective detail of a plaiting drawer carried by the plaiting frame and adapted for use in making accordion and sunburst plaits.

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of a modified form of plaiting bars.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of said bars.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a modified form of plaiting device wherein the fabric is supported on traveling belts.

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of Fig. 12.

Serial No. 316,122.

Fig. 14: is 'a perspective view of a modified form of plaiting frame.

Fig. 15 is a sectional detail of a plaiting bar support of Fig. 14.

16 is a plan view of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is a perspective detail of the separated elements of a rod-holder.

The plait-ing or pleating device here shown consists of a flat rectangular frame 20 which encircles a rectangular open top well 22. A ledge 2 1 bounds said well on three sides and upstands above the top face of the frame. One end of the frame is provided with a raised section 26 which upstands above the level of said ledge 24. Looped heating coils 28 are located in said well and are adapted to heat the plaited cloth or other material. The ends of said pipes are brought out through the end of the frame and are terminated in couplings 30 to which flexible tubes (not shown) may be detachably connected to permit steam for heating to pass through the coil. A perforated. steam pipe 32 is located in the middle of the well and serves to admit steam therein for the purpose of steaming the material. A. metal screen 34 is extended over the open top of the well above the steam pipes and over the top of the ledge 24 and the elevated face 26 of the frame and is secured in the aforesaid relation in any convenient manner.

The frame is provided with duplicate and interchangeable side bars 36 38 which are located on the opposite sides of the frame against and upstand above the ledge 24 and 5535 apertures 42 in the side bars whereby to hold $30 the side bars removably in the aforesaid relation. A detachable end bar lt of similar characteristics is located at the end of the frame between the ends of the side bars, and

is similarly secured removably to the frame.

The top faces of the side bars are provided with a plurality of channels 4.6 which extend completely from one side to the other thereof and are in communication with the well in the frame for the purpose of admitting steam T L00 to the under side of the cloth that is in process of plaiting so that the cloth thereover can be steamed.

The end bar 44 is provided with clove-tailed grooves 48 which are located in the upper face of and adjacent the inner and outer edges of said bar; and said grooves are continued in the ends of said side bars. Correspondingly dove-tailed bars 50 are slidably received removably in the aforesaid grooves and are extended preferably coextensivethe width of the frame. Said dove-tailed bars are provided with a series of longitudinally spaced projections as eyelets 52 and 54 which are screw threaded into sa d bars and between which eyelets the ends'of plait forming bars 56' are adapted to be located and retained removably.

The plait forming bars 56 as shown in Fig. 1, 2, 3 and 5 are long, thin and rigid and have a width which is suitable to form the particular plait desred. The spacing between the adjacent eyelets 52 and 54 of the two rows is suitable to receive said bars and hold them in parallel relation. If plaits of various widths are to be made various plaiting bars 56 of suitable widths will be used and clovetailed bars 50 having spacings between their eyelets suitable to receive the selected bars will be inserted in the frame. The plaiting bars are held in place by a rod 58 which is insertible through the eyelets 52 over the bars 56 and a second rod 60 which is similarly insertible through the eyelets 54.

The end bar 44 and the ends of the side bars 36 and 38 are provided also with two lines of closely spaced recesses 62 and 64 respectively which lie within and are adjacent to the dove-tailed bars 50 and are adapted to receive pins, not shown, which will be spaced between and hold the plait forming bars in parallelrelation if it happens that suitable clove-tailed bars 50 are not available. 7

In the use of the device above described, the cloth A or other material tobe plaitedis laid upon the frame above the end bar 44. If the material happens to be a skirt or similar endless material that portion thereof that is not supported on the frame can hang therebeneath as is indicated in Fig. 3. The first left hand bar 56, Fig. 1, is then placed upon the frame over the material and between two aligned eyelets of the two rows. A second plaiting bar is insertedbeneath the material and the frame and is then moved to the left to carry the material over the first bar; and the second bar is located above the first bar in said sets of eyelets as'is clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. A third plaiting bar is then placed upon the frame over the cloth and between the second and third eyelets of the two rows and so on until the plaits have been formed in the material entirely across the frame or for the width desired. team can then be admitted into the well of the frame through the steam pipe 34 to moisten the material and condition it for pressing. A removable plate 63 can be inserted under the cloth and positioned over the screen 34 to rest at its edges upon the ledge 24 and to be flush with the top of the side bars of the frame for the purpose of supporting the cloth and the bars as a pressing iron is moved over the plaited cloth, to press the plaits. Steam can then be turned into the heating coils 28 to heat the plaited and pressed material for the purpose of drying it. For some materials the steaming operation may not be necessary or desirable.

If. more of the cloth, as the entire skirt, is to be plaited, the plate 63 and the holding rods 58 and 60 are removed. The plaiting-bars 56 are then drawn by endwisemovement out of the plaits and away from the frame with the exception of those which overlie the side bar 86. The side bar 38 is thereupon removed from the. frame and the side bar 36 with the cloth and the plaiting bars thereon is raised to the other side of the frame and is placed in the position occupied by the removed side bar 38. The side bar 38 is thereupon placed on the frame to occupy the position vacated by the bar 36. The plaiting can then be continued as above described, or until as much of the material as desired has been plaited. By maintaining the bars in the plaits of the material over the side bar 36 and by transferring said side bar with the plaiting bars and the material thereon over to the other side of the frame, the plaits can be continued in the material without variation or breaks in the spacing thereof.

The rods 58and 60 are adapted to be moved into the eyelets over the plaiting bars gradually as the bars are placed in position whereurge the presser'foot against the cloth and the plaiting bars. When the presser foot is not in use, it can be located away from the plait forming space as shown in Fig. 1 in' which position it can also hold the cloth against the frame if the cloth is longer than the plaiting bars. In 4, a modified form of presser member is illustrated wherein the presser foot 65a is provided with a series of depressions or teeth 68that are adapted to be located between the free ends of the plaiting bars thus to hold the free ends against lateral displacements.

When the rods 58 and 60 are withdrawn and the presser foot 65 is removed, the plaitforming bars are vertically free in the frame so that they can be raised out of the frame with the plaited cloth between them and without disturbing the plaits, by insertin a pair of stifi plates, not shown, under their ends, and transferred bodily to a pressing table or other support.

For some purposes it is desirable to plait elsewhere than on the frame or to remove the plaited material with the bars therein without detaching the bars from their spacing and holding means. For this purpose the side bars 36 and 38 and the end bar H can be connected rigidly together by the connecting plate 69, see Fig. 1, so that the connected side and end bars, with the plaited material and the plaiting bars thereon can be removed from the frame and transferred to a pressing table or other suitable support.

If thick material is to be plaited. in which it may be difficult to form plaits with sharply creased edges, a plate can be secured removably to the end of the frame adjacent the eyelets or other projections. The plate is provided with a series of inclined sections 72 between the eyelets 54, which inclined sections are adapted to engage the ends of the plaiting bars 56 and tilt them upwardly. The cloth is thus caused to be pulled down sharply over the raised edges of the plaiting bars so that sharply creased edges will be formed in the material.

The plaiting frame can be supported in any suitable manner. In Fig. 8 it is illustrated as being supported by and above a table 7 1. One end of the frame is provided with brackets 7 6 which are pivoted to brackets 78 clamped detachably to the table 74:. The other end of the frame is provided with feet 80 which rest upon the table. With this arrangement the plaiting frame can be tilted. about its pivotal support for the purpose of manipulating the cloth and for placing a fold of the cloth thereunder. In Fig. 2, the brackets 76 are pivoted to a floor-supported standard 82 which has an extension S that underlies and serves to support the frame in a horizontal position.

For sunburst and accordion plaits it is desirable to provide other plaiting means as shown in Fig. 9. As here shown said means comprises a frame or drawer having two spaced parallel side bars 86 and 88 which are secured rigidly in the aforesaid relation by cross bars 89, one of which is shown in Fig. 9. A screen 90 is located between and is carried by said side bars. The material 13 to be plaited is laid across said side bars and upon the screen. The plaiting bars 56a are arranged alternately upon and under the cloth on edge as is shown. The bars and the cloth are pressed together by a. clamping bar 92 which is screw-threaded on clam 'iing rods 9% one of which is here shown. For accordion plaiting, the plaiting bars 56a have parallel edges but for sunburst plaiting, the bars are tapered as shown in Fig. 9. The filled frame is adapted to be placed upon the frame 20 over the well and steam is turned on through the pipe 32 to moisten the material as before. The frame shown in Fig. 9 is conveniently carried as a drawer beneath the frame 20 and has dove-tails 96 which are slidable in corresponding ways 98 carried by the bottom of said frame 20, see Fig. 8.

Figs. 10and 11 illustratea modified form of plaiting bar which consists of two parallel superimposed sections 560 and 56d that are closely spaced and are integral and are connected at one end only. The free ends of the bars are adapted to be secured together over the cloth by a U-shaped member 100 which may be somewhat resilient whereby firmly to engage the two ends removably. The cloth is adapted to be inserted between the upper and lowersections of the bar in an obvious manner.

Figs. 12 and 13 illustrate a modified form of the invention wherein the cloth is carried by movable conveyor belts so that the necessity of transferring one of the side plates to the other side of the plaiting frame is obviated.

As herein shown, the plaiting frame 20a is provided with a pair of shafts 102 that are journalled on opposite sides of the frame and carry sprocket wheels 104 and drums 106 at their ends. Endless belts or bands 108 are passed about drums 106 of said shafts and over the frame on opposite sides of the well thereof. Said belts carry blocks 110 on their outer faces which are secured only to the band. The blocks thus provide fiat horizontal surfaces above the plaiting frame on which the cloth can be supported. Endless chains 112 are connected with said blocks and belts and are passedover said sprocket wheels 104 so that both belts are caused to move in unison. The blocks 110 of one belt are provided with sets of eyelets 52a and 54a similar to the eyelets 52 and 54 to holdthe plaiting bars. With this arrangement, when the plaits are formed in the cloth entirely across the width of the frame, the belts can be moved to carry a further section of unplaited cloth over the top of the frame.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 14 through 17, the plaiting bars 56 are carried by an open frame which is flexible and is formed of side bars 36a and 38a, and end bars 44a and 46b riveted or otherwise secured together at the ends. Said bars are flexible so that the open frame can conform to a curved surface, as the top of a pressing table, on which it may be placed. The plaitbar supports 50a are also flexible and are slidably supported at their ends on the bars 36a and 38a so that they can be moved close together, as shown in Fig. 1, to hold the plaiting bars at one end only, and also so that they can be moved away from each other and supportithe-opposite ends of the bars with the cloth to be plaited disposed thereb'etween. In this latter respect the modification has one advantage over Fig. 1 although the presser foot 65, or 65a, in Fig. 1 also holds the free ends of the plaiting .bars against lateral. displacement.

The bar-holding rods 60a and 58a serve to hold the plaiting bars in place as in Fig. 1. Said rods are pressed through openings in normally vertically supported plates or eyelets 52a of said supports a which are located between the plaiting bars. gaid plates preferably are hingedly connected with said supports 50a, as by thehinge-members 526 so that, after the rods 58a and 60a have been withdrawn, they can be turned down over the plaiting bars so that the open frame will be free from projections when the upper pressing board of a pressing table is brought thereagainst for pressing the plaited material in the frame. I

I claim:

1. A plaiting device including a frame having a well therein, having a closure for i the bottomthereof, a' screen forming a cover for the top of said well, plaiting bars located in the plaits of the material in parallel side by side relation adapted to hold'the material on said frame over said screen, means connecting said bars independently removably to said frame above said screen, and means,

to admit a moistening agent intosaid well under said screen and to the material on said bars.

plaiting device including; a frame adaptedto support the material to be plaited,

a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame, and means which are engageable with the edges of said bars at longitudinally spaced localities 011 said bars, arranged to hold them removably in parallel relation on said frame, said bars being eX- tended 7 beyond said holding means and adapted to engage the material to be plaited therebeyond. 7

3. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame adapted to support the material to be plaited, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be received on said frame, and spaced means located at one end of said frame engageable with each of said bars at longitudinally spaced localities on said bars at one end only thereof to hold them removably in operative position, said bars being extended beyond said holding means and adapted to engage the material to be plaited therebeyonc. 4. A plaiting device including a frame adapted to support the material to be plaited having at one end a plurality of longitudinally aligned sets of projections, and a plurality of removable plaiting bars adapted to be received on said frame between said projections, said bars being extended in one direction beyond said setsrof projections and adapted to engage the material to be plaited therebeyond, the free ends of said bars, and said frame thereat'being unobstructed so that the plaited material can be withdrawn from said bars while they are in position on said frame. 7

5. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame bounding a steam well, side bars having detachable connections with said frame on opposite sides of said well, an end bar carried by said frame on one side of said well between said side bars, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame above said side and end bars, and means car ried by said side and end bars arranged to hold said plaiting bars removably in operative position. i

6. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame bounding a steam well, side bars havin detachable connections with said frame on opposite sides of said Well, an end bar carried by said frame on one side of said well between said side bars,-a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame above said side and end bars, and means carried by said side and end bars arranged to hold said plaiting bars removably in operative position, said means comprising spaced rows of projections located in said end bar and also in the ends of said side bars between which projections of both rows the ends of said plaiting bars are adapted to be received.

7. A plaiting device. including a plaiting frame bounding a steam well, side bars having detachable connections with said frame on opposite sides of said well, an end bar carried by said frame on one side of said well between said side bars, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame above said side and end'bars, and meanscarried by said-side and end bars arranged to hold said laitin bars removabl in o erative u o o b n lposition, said means comprising spaced rows 'of projections located in said end bar and also in the ends of saidside bars between which projections of both rows the ends of said plaiting bars are adapted to be received, and rods removably extended through the projections of said rows above said plaiting bars.

8. A plaiting device including a frame having a steam well therein and a ledge bounding said well, side bars carried by said frame on opposite sides of said well, and abutted against and extended above said ledge, and an end bar carried by said frame against said ledge and between said side bars and extended above said ledge,;a' screen comprising a cover for said well overlying said well and said ledge and secured to said ledge, a plate and end bars and said plate, and means removably holding said plaiting bars in the aforesaid relation.

9. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein, duplicate and interchangeable side bars located on said frame on opposite sides of said well and having removable and interchangeable connections therewith, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame and said side bars, and means to secure said plaiting bars removably in the aforesaid relation.

10. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein, duplicate and interchangeable side bars located on said frame on opposite sides of said well and having removable and interchangeable connections therewith, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame and said side bars, and means removably to secure certain of said plaiting bars to said frame and others of said plaiting bars to at ieast one 0 said side bars.

11. A plaiting device including a frame having a steam well therein, duplicate side bars carried by said frame on opposite sides of said well and having detachable connections therewith by which said bars can be interchanged in position on said frame, an end bar located at one end of said frame between said side bars, upstanding projections carried by said end bar and also by the ends of said side bars, and a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be received removably on said frame and said side and end bars with their ends between said projections.

12. A plaiting device including a frame having a steam well therein, duplicate side bars carried by said frame on opposite sides of said well and having detachable connections therewith by which said bars can be interchanged in position on said frame, an end bar located at one end of said frame between said side bars, upstanding projections carried by said end bar and also by the ends of said side bars, and a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be received removably on said frame and said side and end bars with their ends between said projections, and material treating means located in said well.

13. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame over said well, means carried by said frame at one end thereof to hold said bars removably in parallel relation on said frame, and a presser foot removably engageable with the other ends of said bars.

14. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame over said well, means carried by said frame at one end thereof to hold said bars removably in parallel relation on said frame, and a presser foot removably engageable with theother ends of said bars, said presser foot having teeth which are adapted to project into the spaces between said plaiting bars.

15. A plaiting device including a frame, a plurality of flat plaiting bars adapted to be received on said frame, and bar-engaging means cooperating with said bars having a series of inclined faces which engage the fiat faces of said bars and hold said bars so that their flat faces are tilted with respect to said frame and transversely of the lengths of said bars.

16. A plaiting device including a frame, a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be received on said frame, and means cooperating with said bars and said frame to hold said bars tilted with respect to said frame, said means comprising a member carried by said frame having a plurality of inclined surfaces on which said bars are adapted to rest.

17. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein and having at one end a pair of spaced grooves extended across the frame, bars slidable in said grooves, upstanding projections carried by said bars, and plaiting bars adapted to be received on said frame with the ends thereof located between projections of both of the aforesaid bars.

18. A plaiting device including a frame having a steam well therein, side bars located at the sides of said well, an end bar located at the end of said well, and between the ends of said side bars, a pair of spaced grooves extended through said end bar and also through the ends of said side bars, bars slidably received in said grooves having spaced upstanding projections, and a plurality of plaiting bars located on said frame with the ends thereof located between the projections of both of said sliding bars.

19. A plaiting device including a frame having a steam well therein, side bars located at the sides of said well, said side bars having detachable connections with said frame and being interchangeable in position thereon, an end bar located at the end of said well and between the ends of said side bars, a pair of spaced grooves extended through said end bar and also through the ends of said side bars, bars slidably received in said grooves having spaced upstanding projections, and a plurality of plaiting bars adapted to be located on said frame with the ends thereof located between the projections of both of said sliding bars.

20. A plaiting device including a plaiting frame having a steam well therein, material treating means located within said well, a drawer carried removably by said frame therebeneath, said drawer having spaced side members and a perforated bottom member, plaiting bars adapted to be located removably on said bottom member, and means carried byisaid side members to compress said plaiting bars together, said draweradapted to be positioned removably'on said frame over the well therein. 7

21. A-plaiting device including a fabricsupporting frame having spaced side bars, plaiting-bar supports extended acrosssaid frame and removably carriedby said side bars, and plaiting bars carried by said supports.

22. A plaiting deviceincluding a frame having spaced side bars, plaiting-bar supports carried removably by said frame and plaiting bars carried by said supports said supports having spacing eyelets for said plaiting bars connected with said supports. 23. A plaiting device including a frame, plaiting bars carried by said frame, and supports for said bars removable on said frame and having eyelets located between and extended above said bars, and bar locking members slidable Within said eyelets.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

WILLIAM H. STEWART. 

